The present invention is directed to the slitting of rolls of material by means of a high pressure fluid jet. Specifically, the concept involves an apparatus and method in which the high pressure jet cuts into and through a roll of material during the relative rotation between the fluid jet and the roll of material and particularly to the confinement of the fluid against outward splashing after it has cut through the central core portion of the material.
The concept of the basic type of cutting or slitting apparatus here involved has been fully described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 777,495 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,958 of Bogert. In essence, this concept provides a fluid jet cutter apparatus combination arrangement for cutting a roll of material in situ and, more particularly, a fluid jet cutter means including a fluid jet nozzle, support means for operatively relatively rotationally supporting removably a roll of material to be cut in situ in a position along an axis in radially inwardly disposed relation to the nozzle for relative rotational movement between the roll of material and the nozzle about the axis, and fluid receiving means operatively disposed radially inwardly of the position of the roll of material for collecting spent fluid. The nozzle is selectively disposed in operatively flow aligned relation to the fluid receiving means at a point along the axis for causing a fluid jet exiting from the nozzle to cut circumferentially into and more or less radially through the roll of material in situ at such point and to be collected by the fluid receiving means during relative rotational movement between the nozzle and the roll of material.
The fluid jet cutter apparatus combination arrangement of the aforesaid application more specifically comprises liquid jet cutter means including a liquid jet nozzle, support means including a mandrel extending along a substantially horizontal axis for operatively rotationally supporting removably thereon the weight of a roll of material to be cut in situ in a position along the axis in radially inwardly disposed relation to the nozzle for relative rotation movement between the roll of material on the one hand and the nozzle and mandrel on the other hand about the axis, and further including rotation mounting means for mounting the roll of material for rotation about the axis and about the mandrel in said position, and a liquid receiving trough operatively disposed radially inwardly of the position of the roll of material and selectively defined in the periphery of the mandrel for collecting spent liquid, the nozzle being selectively disposed in operatively flow aligned relation to the trough at a point along the mandrel for causing a liquid jet exiting from the nozzle to cut circumferentially into and completely through the roll of material in situ at such point and be collected by the trough during rotation of the roll of material. This arrangement solved many problems which were not overcome by the prior art which is exemplified by the patent disclosures of the following fluid jet cutting apparatus and methods: U.S. Pat. No. 1,699,760 to Sherman; U.S. Pat. No. 2,658,427 to VerDoot, Jr.,; U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,106 to Hyman et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,813 to Eckelman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,578 to Krofta; U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,014 to Franz; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,157 to Justus.
While, as aforesaid, this arrangement is highly advantageous, under certain conditions the water emanating from the jet nozzles could splash out of the aforesaid trough and have the undesirable result of wetting the core and, perhaps, a portion of the material of the roll around the core. The present invention is particularly directed to the concept of preventing the splashing of water emanating from the jet nozzles and directing their outward flow without any of the aforesaid potentially deleterious effects.